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Alignment Marks on Balls


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On 8/23/2021 at 4:41 PM, Tom the Golf Nut said:

On putting I read the line and pick my aim point then line up the line to that aim point.

This is my approach as well.  I find it difficult to set my alignment at the ball to the hole (though for reasonably short putts, I do see an advantage) but for any putt with a bit of length (~8'+) I prefer to find a target point between me and the hole... especially if I can find one near the apex of the break.  Then I concentrate on speed.  

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On 8/10/2021 at 9:42 AM, greggarner said:

I always line up the side stamp when I'm putting, but don't line up off the tee. When I'm putting, it's mostly as a final visual check as I'm setting up. My routine is to read the line and pick my aim point then line up the side stamp to that aim point. Then I set up next to the ball for three practice strokes and then address the ball. Because I'm (extremely) right-eye dominant, I've learned not to trust my reads when I'm standing over the putt so if I see something other than where my side stamp is pointing, I either trust the side stamp or I back off and take another look.

I have tried using alignment markings like drawing a full circle around the ball and even splurged for the Align XL from golfballs.com, but I find those extremely distracting and they don't help my read based on my routine. Bonus: the more prominent the alignment marking, the more perfect it has to be. Even the slightest bit of wobble will make you think you hit a bad putt when it could really be that some paint was applied incorrectly by 1 degree. Not good for my confidence when I see the wobble...

This is really helpful, I have almost pulled the trigger on Align XL a couple times including this past weekend when they had their labor day sale haha

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On 9/6/2021 at 6:58 AM, Watchnut33 said:

For longer putts (12+ feet) I don’t use an alignment mark of any kind, but I use the manufacturer marking on putts inside of that. I’ve gone back and forth with using the alignment marking on the tee, not sure I can find a discernible difference. 

I had previously lined up all of my puts with the alignment mark, but this is more what I do now. I find it most helpful for putts ~3-15 ft. Typically more trouble than its worth under that and I find myself worrying more about the alignment than pace on putts longer than that. It has helped scrub a good chunk of 3 putts out of the game and as I improve I am sure I will start stretching that back though.

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I prefer to place the brand name of the ball across my intended line but I do not use it as an aiming device.  I tried using the alignment markings and found them distracting as well.  When you observe people practicing on the putting green prior to a round you rarely, if ever, see anyone using the alignment markings.  I assume along with gaining a feel for green, we are also trying to make those putts; I know I am.  

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I'm similar to many of you. Long putts, I only want to see a blank ball, no lines. For medium putts, it depends; 75% of the time, I will not line it up. I find that I will focus too much on line and not about speed. I've had some terrible putts that I've blown by or babied bc of this. when I do line it up, the putt has to be fairly straight and nothing more than a ball outside. I find that picking a blade of grass or an old pitch mark to help me with start line is much easier then the line. For short putts, I like to line it up, especially if I'm not feeling super confident on the practice green pre round. I like it because speed is less of a concern because I like to putt confidently on shorter putts. 

When it comes to lines, I'm not picky. The manufacturer logo/line works okay. I've tried the TP5 Pix and its alright, nothing special. I do like the triple track. It allows me to see the line as less of an actual line and more of how the ball will roll. I've thought about buying a triple track stencil but I'm kind of lazy when it comes to marking my ball. 

I've seen a few tour pros use an additional perpendicular line on their ball, I assume to check that their putter is square to their line. Have any of you all tried this. It seems like a big pain to mark on your ball and to set when on the green. But, if it helps put the ball in the hole, I guess its worth it.

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I must be a complete idiot.

Am I supposed to align my ball a special way?

I put the ball down in front of my dime.

I pick up my dime.

I putt the ball.

Usually, I putt the ball again.

But I'm not stubborn.  If you know something that I don't, I'm all ears.

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On 9/6/2021 at 11:49 PM, vinnyboy23 said:

you can't convince me that the average person has a better view of the line looking down, sideways, and with one eye at a different angle than having both eyes level and behind the ball looking at the hole. 

I don’t look at my line over the ball. I read once I determine line and speed I find an intermediate target and line my putter up to that then square myself to the putter. 

26 minutes ago, BostonSal said:

I must be a complete idiot.

Am I supposed to align my ball a special way?

I put the ball down in front of my dime.

I pick up my dime.

I putt the ball.

Usually, I putt the ball again.

But I'm not stubborn.  If you know something that I don't, I'm all ears.

Where is your putter aimed at?

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3 minutes ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

Where is your putter aimed at?

please say "the hole" please say "the hole" please say "the hole"

 

.....

 

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1 minute ago, greggarner said:

please say "the hole" please say "the hole" please say "the hole"

 

.....

 

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33 minutes ago, BostonSal said:

I must be a complete idiot.  NO

Am I supposed to align my ball a special way? It's a preference 

I put the ball down in front of my dime.

I pick up my dime.

I putt the ball.

Usually, I putt the ball again.

But I'm not stubborn.  If you know something that I don't, I'm all ears.

You read all the above posts so each of us has a way that works better for us. You can read the article that Golf.com did on this to explain the choices. Experiment and use what works best for you.

I tested putting with a line on my golf ball, and now I'm never going back

 

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45 minutes ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

I don’t look at my line over the ball. I read once I determine line and speed I find an intermediate target and line my putter up to that then square myself to the putter. 

Where is your putter aimed at?

Greg wants me to say "the hole" and that would be a correct answer, assuming insignificant break.  

But in many instances, "the wrong place" would also be a correct answer in as much as the ball will find an alternate destination point.

 

The real question is, does the orientation of the dimples actually affect the roll

or is the ball placement important only for alignment purposes to those who align by ball markings?

They do print "Boston Sal" on my ball.

I suppose I could use that as an alignment aid.

But generally, I already do exactly what you do with a spike mark or an off-color blade of grass or whatever.

Lining up "Boston Sal" straight at the spike mark might not be a bad idea.

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6 minutes ago, BostonSal said:

Greg wants me to say "the hole" and that would be a correct answer, assuming insignificant break.  

But in many instances, "the wrong place" would also be a correct answer in as much as the ball will find an alternate destination point.

 

The real question is, does the orientation of the dimples actually affect the roll

or is the ball placement important only for alignment purposes to those who align by ball markings?

They do print "Boston Sal" on my ball.

I suppose I could use that as an alignment aid.

But generally, I already do exactly what you do with a spike mark or an off-color blade of grass or whatever.

Lining up "Boston Sal" straight at the spike mark might not be a bad idea.

Doubt the alignment has any impact.

Putting is a combination of choosing the line and the speed for the line to get the ball in the hole. If either is off the balls not going in the hole. 
 

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1 minute ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

Doubt the alignment has any impact.

Putting is a combination of choosing the line and the speed for the line to get the ball in the hole. If either is off the balls not going in the hole. 
 

Funny how one notices that over the decades!

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Nope.  I do put a big red or purple magic marker slash for visibility and ID.  I putt long putts looking at the hole.  On shorter (7 ft or less) if I can see the hole out of the corner of my I see the ball but I don't stare at, I look more at the putter head to keep it straight.  It is interesting to see how much angle at impact there is even on small back-stroke putts.

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My two cents....

100% on the tee and green. I use a solid line with a perpendicular set of dots  It has absolute helped as I've dropped about 6 strokes off my handicap this year.

On the tee I use the solid line to make sure my club face is square. The dots show me where I'm aimed.

On the green I use the solid line to roll end over end on my target line. I make sure it is aligned with the line on my putter head. 

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2 hours ago, TBS said:

I find that picking a blade of grass or an old pitch mark to help me with start line is much easier then the line. For short putts, I like to line it up, especially if I'm not feeling super confident on the practice green pre round. I like it because speed is less of a concern because I like to putt confidently on shorter putts. 

I am with TBS and surprised more haven't mentioned it. 

My putting improved significantly when I started focusing on a blemish in the green in front of the ball (how far ahead depends on length of putt but usually around 2" to 6") and stroking through the ball to the blemish.  The only time I have run into trouble is when the greens are so perfect I don't have something to focus on or it is less obvious when standing over ball.  Having said that . . . I play public courses so that only happens once or twice a year.  Ha ha ha.  But if I am nervous I will use an alignment line on the ball but only so I can then pick a blemish once standing over the ball.  If I focus on hitting the ball with the line on my putter meeting the line on the ball . . .  I get into real trouble with bad strokes.  

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I had a retinal detachment in my dominant eye which really threw me putting for a loop. (about 8 -12 putts more a round)

I have tried alignment on ball logos, spin balance of golf balls, and even floating golf balls in Epson salt solutions to find balance spots.  The bottom line is that it is a poor workman who blames his tools.  The best solution I have found is to increase practice time.  Just my opinion.

S/G

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oddly. i aim the ball on the tee so i hit the "label" and can see the "T" of Titleist, yet i like a clean look on the ball when i putt so i focus on my intended line.

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On 8/9/2021 at 10:41 AM, Tiftaaft said:

Just an informal survey & comments:  

Do you use ball alignment marks (either manufactured or self inflicted) when putting?  
 

I find the ball’s seam for drives but avoid seeing anything but white when I putt. I find all marks to attract too much attention over the line I’ve determined for the ball rolling to the hole. I only fill in the “e” in Titleist to mark my ball as it is the least visually distracting. Plain is good. 

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On 8/23/2021 at 5:41 PM, Tom the Golf Nut said:

...snip...

My course has many tee boxes that are angled to draw you into hitting away from the fairway.

Sometimes I'll angle the tee markers when I change them on Sunday mornings.  But only the green and reds. I play the whites, and that stuff messes me up!

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I had a "putting lesson / fitting" where I used a line on the ball, put a laser behind it & found I consistently lined a cup left of what I thought was correct.  Using the number as an aid I got within a cup.   Pro said what do I usually do & I said I prefer a blank spot on the ball in alignment aid.  He said " you are a feel putter". Your mind compensates for misalignment in that you feel the line you want while not looking like you are set to the line.   People hate putting behind you in scrambles!   Something I have heard before.  

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If i am playing in a tournament, i spin my golf balls with Check-n-Go and always add my own marks that i focus on when putting.

If i am just playing a casual round i do not use the balls i spin check and i use the marks already present on the ball, whether it be a manufacturers alignment, logo, mfg name , etc.

This is just my personal process and i'd have to say, i do seem to sink more putts in tournaments than others in my group regardless of putt distance.

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Tried using an alignment mark but found myself spending way too much time making sure it was lined up exactly at my target.  Easier to orient the line on my putter to square it to the target.  Also found it distracting in the fairway when the line was off to one side or across the top of the ball.

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